Dear GSAS Students,
I hope this finds you having settled into fall semester and creating new pathways forward with your work.
As we turn to November and the last half of a challenging semester, I expect each of us finds ourselves in circumstances we could not have imagined a year, or even six months, ago. Certainly I do. My ofrenda this year includes many who I did not expect to honor for years yet to come. The Pandemic continues to lay bare the deep structural inequalities of our country. And the ongoing grind of these twin pandemics could prove overwhelming. Or instead – and as I hope – together we may find new ways to embrace our intellectual work and likewise find hope and a collective commitment to the idea that yes, yes we can change our world.
Changing the world requires persistence, support, and self and community care. GSAS and NYU writ large offer many avenues that we hope will help. Links to GSAS social media and events can be found at GSAS Student Life. Some specific resources for students are highlighted here. Details for all our GSAS offices can be found here. Over the next weeks, as the election results unfold, the Office of Global Inclusion is offering substantive programming of all types to hold space for understanding and reflecting on these events. An important post-election event on race and racism can be registered for here.
While these are difficult and uncertain times, let us look for ways to learn from them and make our community stronger. I am keen to hear your ideas for moving us forward together, so please email me with your thoughts.
And please do continue to take good care of one another.
All my best,
Susan Antón
Interim Dean, GSAS